Whereas in person, you might have used your charm or visual cues to impress upon your classmates and your professor, doing so over the wire requires you to hone a different skill, that of writing and sometimes speaking over the camera than in person. So, as we go through these courses at bullet train speeds, we recognize more and more that we need to be effective writers. Written communication is a must have for any MBA, more so for a Global MBA. It is not an alien skill. After all, we write more than we speak these days, whether at work or in the social scene. It is simply easier to write an email than to pick up the phone and talk. Social Networking has increased the amount of written content on the web more than anything else. News updates come to us in the form of RSS feeds. Latest breaking news is obtained over Twitter and breaking news or scoops are served fresh over Facebook. Customer service for banks, insurance and other services have moved online, so we either type a mail or chat with a rep. (We are by the way, weighing in on queue models for how a Call center would differ between one that handles just calls and another that does calls, chats and emails.)

The Global MBA format gives adequate rest to your ears since most of the time, you will be reading the professor and your classmates. So, even as you talk about being an active listener, you do become an active reader. Non-real time communication means, you not only listen by active reading, but also thoroughly analyze responses, several hours after it has been uttered.. err.. typed in. But, with written communication come some challenges too. I In spoken communication, you sometimes charge that a person goes selectively deaf to what you say.. in written communication, we are seeing that as selective blindness instead, at times. So, hands have replaced the vocal cord, eyes have replaced the ear. Of course wires have replaced hands and legs that you would normally use to get to class.

What else is in store? Watch this space!

My first impressions of the online work are really good. I was a little bit worried that there would be a bit of a let down after such a wonderful two weeks in Madrid. However, you find out pretty quickly that the Online Community is a very dynamic and exciting environment. The relationships that we built in Madrid have definitely made the transition easier and have enabled us to have open and honest discussions online. You do spend A LOT of time at your computer which I guess shouldn’t be a huge surprise when you are taking an online program! None of the work so far has seemed like a drag though. It has all been enjoyable and interesting. That is the biggest difference from my Bachelor’s Degree that I have noticed in myself so far. I am reading and working hard because I want to learn about the material being taught as opposed to just doing the work to get good marks. The professors do a great job in guiding the online discussions and the comments that are made by everyone in the class really promote learning. It’s all good so far!

Okay, I should get back to work! Speak to you soon.

We have 31 students from 22 countries. Sectors represented include, manufacturing, telecommunications, financial services, law, advertising, logistics, non for profit, consulting, IT, food technology, aeronautics, tourism, building and construction, engineering, nuclear physics, pharmaceuticals and a few experienced in start ups. It is a very diverse group. We have lawyers, CFOs, biologists, chemists, aeronautical engineers, nuclear scientists, our fair share of people in funds management and financial advising, company owners, people living as ex-pats in other countries, ex-university professors and someone who made a lot of money building and selling an internet start up – you’ll have to ask them what the website was about .   So as you can see, life online with an IE Masters is not a lonely experience, you get to share it with amazing people who become your friends for life.

In the IXMBA we work in groups of 5-7 people and the work load is roughly like this:  Each week your group works on 3 assignments, these get submitted the following week on the Monday/Tuesday. This is followed by an open class discussion on the assignment topics with all 31 students…that is 3 class discussions happening simultaneously, these are guided by the professor who asks various questions and steers the direction of the conversation. These are very deep discussions and the learning experience is a lot greater than what I expected. Unlike being in a class you can’t just say what comes to mind, in an online course your contribution is there for all to see, so a lot of thought generally goes into a post. The discussions are open from Tuesday to Friday for students to participate where they can in different time zones. At the end of the week for some subjects there is a short quiz. The catch is, that whilst you are having the 3 class discussions, you are also working with your group to put together next weeks assignments, plus of course working full time.

All work is done in forums and is very easy to follow, and being online you obviously use other tools. In skyping with one of my colleagues in my group we were talking about the work load and then about our experience. At the end we decided that if you are going to get an EMBA from one of the best business schools in the world, it is normal for it to be challenging. In a strange kind of way it would be disappointing if it was too easy…but it is a hell of a lot of fun!

Cheers
Jason

I just returned to Canada two days ago from the first face-to-face period in Madrid. What a fantastic experience it was. It was a whirlwind two weeks! The class for this year has 16 students, all males. There are 14 different nationalities which makes for a great atmosphere within the class. Lots of different perspectives and cultures to learn about. Another cool thing about our class is there is a lot of different ambitions and reasons for doing this Master. From the first day, there was a real sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

The first day of the face-to-face period provided us with the opportunity to meet our professors and classmates, learn about the Case Method (the main method of instruction for the program) and then we got right into our courses. The professors are outstanding. They run very interesting classes, are extremely knowledgeable, and have a vast amount of professional experience. Over the course of the two weeks in Madrid, in addition to starting our first term classes, we also had Industry Specific Conferences (run by professionals in the sports business sector) and World Awareness Seminars which are designed to encourage us think globally. The days of the face-to-face period were long and it was hard work but everyone really enjoyed it. The subject matter is so interesting to everyone that it’s easy to put the hours in. Sports are what we all love.

We also managed to squeeze in some fun as a group outside of class time. We went to a couple of football matches and a basketball game.

Everyone is really excited about the year ahead. We have already become good friends in just two weeks and I’m sure that we will all grow even closer during the next 13 months!

Continuity
Sessions are tightly scheduled from week to week, leaving no time for breaks (except from the official ones like the Christmas break). This means that when we finish two topics; let’s say Fundamentals of Marketing Management and Financial Accounting a Thursday, on Friday (or maybe even before) we have to prepare already for session 1 of the next topics that begin on Saturday, lets say Cost Accounting and Strategy. Two new topics, new tasks, books, professors… There is no time to recover, to look back or catch your breath. The ball is rolling and it doesn’t stop!

The workload
In the full workload weeks we have business as usual: book readings, individual preparation for the sessions (of the two topics at hand), team discussions and preparation for team submissions as well as group discussion in the forums.
In the crazy over the top workload weeks we have all the latter, plus some extras, the cherry on the top. This could be for example a group presentation in our Saturday class, one or two exams (which requires  reviewing the last sessions), a final individual submission or a combination of some of them. All of that of course, parallel to your daily job.

So yes it is intense, but at the same time engaging, challenging and great. You’re not alone and your teammates help a lot to reduce the stress exchanging experiences, jokes whatever is necessary to keep the team moving forward.
5 months gone and still surviving, it’s amazing how motivation (and a little bit of adrenaline) can keep you on going. I’ll let you know if my survival skills sufficed to stay in the game.

There is however, one other dimension of diversity that IE brings together in its innovative format of learning. Diversity in its teaching force! A Virtual Classroom not only means that students from the comfort of their homes around the world can get together to debate Google’s Strategy, formulate a Go-to-Market plan for Zara or to scrutinize Enron’s financial statements, but Professors from around the world can guide their discussions!

Although we are just about a third through our MBA now, we have already had professors whose experience ranges from a Chief Strategist from Cartagena, a Negotiator for the European Union, a General Manager for Cortefiel to a senior Mathematician turned Entrepreneur.

Thus, not only do each of these professors, with their MBAs and Phds bring academic excellence, but also have had a track record of applying theory to industry. This gives us a unique perspective of which methods work in practice, which sections of the textbook are obsolete and which are the most relevant cases to discuss in class in today’s business environment.

Not that the internet or Virtual presence needs any more advocates than it already has, but this is another unique advantage you realize with virtual learning. Geographic and logistic barriers cannot come in the way of you learning from the best minds. IE provides that unique opportunity, bringing together some of the very best minds to educate us. Had I opted to go to a Brick and Mortar classroom, I would have no doubt learned the concepts, but maybe not have known how it applies to the real world in so many different countries or business situations.

Hello to all. This is numero uno post from yours truly. Though i wanted to make it a well written one, guess i might have failed in that attempt and do excuse me for that. But i’ am keeping high hopes of becoming one good blogger atleast by the time i graduate .

Last few days I have been reading the blogs from all the authors  and let me tell you that i’ am now more excited than ever before on my choice of school and the course. Its been great reading through the experiences and thoughts of everyone.  Also we do have my good friend Ram as an author and he has already posted some good thoughts on how life has been for this group of 65 odd guys & gals, of GMBA’10, from around the world in last few months. What we have been doing and how we been adjusting to this new life. As i compose this post sitting in an airplane while heading back home just one more thought is going through me – GMBA (like many other courses) is a perfect recipe to be a true Global Citizen.

Extract from an ancient African proverb -

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle.
When the sun comes up, you better start running.”

Isn’t this how a modern fast paced corporate world is. We are always on the move. It seems running has become part of our life in this corporate world. In addition to that every day looks to be a brand new day bringing on some new challenges and competition. No one knows what is going to happen and also how to respond to challenges. Also in addition to this there is no limit or any border and we need to work on a global platform with each team and colleague based out in different corners of the world.  A submission of any project or a business case might require discussions and interactions with teams and colleagues around the globe. And no matter whether you are at your base or travelling – timeline has to be met. You need to be a global citizen in this world and survival will be an art in itself.

Now Step 1- Take the “corporate” part out this life, Step 2- put an MBA in it – and one answer we get is “GMBA”.

The methodology of the program makes it truly global with batch & team mates based across the world. Look at my team, we are like in Singapore, KSA, Italy, Germany, Russia and UK.  Its spread across various time zones and this makes working on each assignment a true global experience.  The schedule of the program makes it near to real work experience with multiple assignments to complete in short time and timelines to meet no matter whether you are travelling or not (just look at my own state of having to log into the eco and quants board all the while on the move ). The course has been fast paced with no time to relax – whether its a weekday or weekend.  And finally the rating based on bell curve makes it all the more closer to the real world where it not just good performance, but an outstanding one that defines the best.

This,and similarly others, are the kind of programs which would shape us to be a true winner in the corporate world out there (and others) and also be a global citizen.This has everything in it – making it a perfect recipe for being a citizen of the globe.

With this signing off for the week, but do stay tuned in & have fun .

Anyways, let’s give a little perspective concerning the second online period, by offering you a situational analysis of everyone’s weekly agenda:

• The Master – well, this really is a doubled weekly assignment. One one hand we have the 2-3 subjects we need to discuss every week. This basically means reading, posting, researching and considering. To this you might want to add the preparation for next week’s subjects – again 2-3. So, to sum up  you got 4-6 subjects to work on weekly.
• The Job – well, you gotta make a living, right? So, no matter if you work for a company or you are a freelancer as some of the team are, you still have your daily duties. And let’s face it, you are doing that for the better part of the day.
• The Startup – As a person about to graduate from IE’s Master in Digital Marketing you are expected to team up with colleagues and work on a business plan that will prove that you deserve that MBA degree. And this requires research, marketing strategy, financial calculations, operational plan and assumptions and last but not least a devotion. I mean you gotta do it right. After all, IE makes sure that, if you do your job right you might get funding and a ticket to the game of the big guys.
• The Personal Life – hmmm… Some of us can hardly remember what that feels like. We all have put our hobbies aside for a year. Others created a daily agenda including only important family duties and feel like kids in Disneyland when they get a holiday for Christmas or Easter.

Now, if you are turned totally off by the previous lines, you have to keep something in mind. It is not about getting into one of the best b-schools on earth. You need to be organized, smart and a very good team player. Not only for yourself, but for the whole class. Actually, this is the essence of learning under the conditions of using an online platform. IE’s online programs are nothing like the offline ones we all have experienced. On the contrary of sitting in a classroom, here you get the chance to really prepare for the sessions and further dig in the topic, simply because you are not limited with 1.5 hour class. And to add to that, when you have a dozen individuals doing the same, it kind of pushes you towards working harder. Lurking is simply not a option.

You ca definitely judge by this post that I am a bit stressed. But this does not change the fact I believe that me joining the Master in Digital Marketing was the best decision I made so far in my professional life. And I promise you that, if you decide to do the same, you won’t be feeling different. You will certainly discover traits and abilities in you that you never saw before and you might just be proud of…

For procrastinators, this is a total nightmare. You are busy compiling your final report or taking your quiz in the wee hours, finishing minutes before the deadline! Lo and behold, you celebrate! After all, it is a great feeling to have been done with 1/4 of your MBA! You want to kick back with a glass of wine or play on your PS3 and yes, you even allow yourself that luxury, only to find yourself drowsy eyed and back in class the next morning (early here in California), with classmates up bright and early, speaking things you have only vaguely heard in the news!

Just yesterday you finished preparing a comprehensive plan for a company to change its “Strategy” and today you’re back solving Linear Programming problems in “Quantitative Methods”! Yes, that’s the life of an MBA student! You move from Corporate Strategy to plain numbers, of course in the context of business. From discussing Opportunity Costs to the Economy and Inflation!

The MBA above anything else, teaches you Time Management. It is easy to get faaaaar behind if we don’t adjust our time management and balance everything else in the universe, e.g. work, social life, etc. if they still exist.

As we are finding out, getting into an MBA program is only the start of a long and tough commitment to learn and to work real hard. If your MBA is a shorter duration one, it comes with a tradeoff, you have to work that much harder. In Linear Programming terms, the area of the Time – Effort rectangle is the same in any MBA. In some, like those in the US the time taken is longer and the effort is spread out, but in others, like that of European programs IE, IMD or INSEAD, the effort is intense due to the condensed time! No, they’re not joking when they tell you this during orientation or at information sessions.

The first presentation period has ended and it was a wonderful two weeks of intensive studies, bonding with class-fellows and the start of sleep deprived nights.

We all came with naive thoughts running through our heads which the professors and GAMA quickly eroded, and left Madrid with new friends & the start of a different perspective on life.

Now that we are in the first online period, having that face-to-face interaction is a key ingredient, as the program is so enriching and feels as if all the students are close together, even though we are spread over 6 continents.

Now if only a cure for sleep deprivation existed, hmm maybe an idea for entrepreneurship?